Photo by Anouk Rovioux
Skilled, competitive and fast paced Basketball Teams of all abilities and ages have been front and centre of attention lately. International Basketball Federation The 2024 FIBA Open has opened in Messe, Switzerland. But the FIBA Open is not just about sports! Off the courts, 14 youth leaders from across Europe were on site to learn how to use “Basketball for Good” in their communities as part of the FIBA Foundation’s Youth Leadership Programme. Among them was Lauri Aaltonen – Unifying Partner and Volunteer with Special Olympics Finland– who aims to make basketball more inclusive in his home country.
Laurie’s trip to Mies was just one step in his journey as a youth leader with the FIBA Foundation’s six-month Youth Leadership Program. Like the other 13 participants, Laurie had already participated in several online sessions before arriving for the on-site workshops in Switzerland. There, he continued his training, focusing on how to use basketball to create a positive impact within his community. Each youth leader uses the knowledge and skills he gains through the program to implement a project with his national basketball federation.
As part of his project, Laurie is working with the Finnish Federation to promote and enhance Special Olympics Finland’s participation in the upcoming European Under-18 Championships, which start on July 18. Speaking courtside at the FIBA Open, Laurie said: “One of my interests is the Under-18 players because they are still young and really ready to learn.”
Photo by Anouk Rovioux
According to Paulina Fritz, the project lead at FIBA Foundation, Lori’s project and the projects of the other 13 participants are the driving force behind the Youth Leadership Programme. “The purpose of the Youth Leadership Programme is to educate and empower young leaders to create basketball for good projects in their countries,” she says. “We accompany and support them on their journeys to create social change in their communities, using basketball as a tool to do so. The goal is for them to identify pressing issues in their communities and develop projects that use basketball to contribute to solving them.”
The Youth Leadership Program has provided Laurie with specialized training on how to sustainably drive Special Olympics Finnish clubs’ integration into key events such as tournaments. He has worked with the national federation to develop a detailed project plan and will report back to the FIBA Foundation with all his findings.
Paulina emphasizes the importance of having a Special Olympics participant in the program. “Special Olympics is a valued partner of the FIBA Foundation and we are eager to expand our collaboration even further. Having Lori as a representative of the Special Olympics movement is a great opportunity to create even more synergy in our shared efforts to create a more inclusive society through basketball,” she says.
Not only is Laurie an organizer and advocate, he and his Special Olympics team – HNMKY Helsinki – have proven to be a formidable force on the field. “We are the current national champions,” he says with a smile. A champion on the field and a champion for inclusion!
